Tuesday 1 December
- Debenhams faces uncertain future as JD Sports quits rescue talks.
- Labour set to abstain in key COVID-19 lockdown vote as Tory rebels unconvinced by govt’s tiers analysis.
- France’s ruling party agrees to ‘total rewrite’ of controversial ‘Article 24’ security measure.
- Trump’s controversial Covid-19 advisor resigns.
- New Zealand’s PM sides with Australia after Chinese diplomat tweets brutal image condemning war crimes against Afghan civilians.
- Iranian official accuses Israel of killing Fakhrizadeh remotely.
- Egypt pledges full support to Palestinian cause.
- Tigray leader warns war not over as Ethiopia PM hails victory.
Topshop – Burton & Dorothy Perkins goes into administration – WTX News
Africa’s cocoa farmers and Big Chocolate clash over poverty fighting measures – FT News
Caffè Nero rejects bid from billionaire Asda brothers – BBC Business
UK carmakers plead for clarity as they stockpile parts and cars for Brexit – The Guardian
Debenhams faces uncertain future as JD Sports quits rescue talks
BBC News says JD Sports is expected to pull out of talks over a rescue deal for department store chain Debenhams on Tuesday.
It was the last remaining bidder for the firm, which is in administration, and up until the end of last week had been closing in on a deal.
But retail giant Arcadia is the biggest concession operator in Debenhams and its collapse is understood to have been a factor in JD Sports’ decision.
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Labour set to abstain in key COVID-19 lockdown vote as Tory rebels unconvinced by govt’s tiers analysis
Sky News says Labour MPs will abstain from a key lockdown vote as Tory rebels say they are unconvinced by a “rehashed” tiers analysis.
Sir Keir Starmer said: “It’s very important as the opposition that we act in the national interest,” he said.
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France’s ruling party agrees to ‘total rewrite’ of controversial ‘Article 24’ security measure
Euronews says the French government has decided to “totally rewrite” part of a new controversial security law that has sparked nationwide protests, amid a raging debate over police violence and accountability.
The measure known as “Article 24”, part of a “global security” law, would make it an offence to film and identify police officers online if there is intent to harm — sparking fears that it might enable police to act with impunity.
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Trump’s controversial Covid-19 advisor resigns
France24 says one of President Donald Trump’s favoured coronavirus advisors who sparked controversy over his comments against mask-wearing and other issues has resigned, US media reported Monday.
Fox News obtained the resignation letter dated December 1 for Scott Atlas, who lacked relevant experience or qualifications in public health or infectious disease.
The outlet also reported that Atlas’s contract was already set to expire later this week.
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New Zealand’s PM sides with Australia after Chinese diplomat tweets brutal image condemning war crimes against Afghan civilians
RT News says Jacinda Ardern has come to Australia’s defence after a Chinese diplomat shared an illustration showing an Aussie soldier with an Afghan child at knifepoint, saying the government has chided Beijing for the post.
Calling the tweet “unfactual,” Ardern told reporters on Tuesday that her administration had contacted Beijing “directly” to raise objections over the controversial image, shared on Sunday by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.
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Iranian official accuses Israel of killing Fakhrizadeh remotely
Aljazeera says a senior Iranian security official alleges that Israel assassinated top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh using remote-controlled technology.
“Unfortunately, the operation was very complicated and was done using electronic equipment and no [perpetrators] were at the scene,” Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told reporters during Fakhrizadeh’s burial ceremony on Monday.
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Egypt pledges full support to Palestinian cause
Arab News says Egypt on Monday pledged its continued full support for the Palestinian issue during a visit to Cairo by the state’s President Mahmoud Abbas.
During a meeting, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said the Palestinian cause remained a key political priority for Egypt and that the country would back Palestine in whatever demands it made toward a peaceful settlement and the restoration of the legitimate rights of its people.
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Tigray leader warns war not over as Ethiopia PM hails victory
TRT World says the leader of Ethiopia’s rebellious northern forces has said his fighters were still fighting close to the regional capital of Mekelle after it was captured by federal troops even as PM Abiy Ahmed praised his soldiers for victory over Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
“I’m close to Mekelle in Tigray fighting the invaders,” Debretsion Gebremichael, who heads TPLF, told Reuters news agency in a text message on Monday.
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In Review
Brazil’s Amazon: Deforestation ‘surges to 12-year high’
Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has surged to its highest level since 2008, the country’s space agency (Inpe) reports.
A total of 11,088 sq km (4,281 sq miles) of rainforest were destroyed from August 2019 to July 2020. This is a 9.5% increase from the previous year.
The Amazon is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming.
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Amazon deforestation hits 12-year high under President Bolsonaro. Campaigners say the damage is “beyond belief” but Brazil’s vice-president says it’s an improvement on last year. – Sky News
Chicken feed from Hereford mill linked to Brazil deforestation – Hereford Times
Revealed: UK supermarket and fast-food chicken linked to deforestation in Brazil – The Guardian
Amazon deforestation shoots higher in October, reversing 3-month trend – Mongabay
Amazon Deforestation: Causes, Effects, Facts, & How to Stop It – Sentient Media
Brazil to face major security threats as climate impacts surge, military experts warn – Reuters
Brazil’s carbon emissions rose in 2019 with Amazon deforestation – Aljazeera
GOP silence on Trump’s false election claims recalls McCarthy era
The silence of congressional Republican leaders as President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud grow wilder and more venomous increasingly resembles the party’s deference to Sen. Joe McCarthy during the worst excesses of his anti-Communist crusade in the early 1950s. – CNN
COVID vaccine: Now we’ve found one, how do we get it to people?
It is hoped the first Europeans could get a COVID-19 vaccine as early as the end of the year after several pharmaceutical firms announced successful trials. – Euronews
Zimbabwe: Chinese company halts search for trapped miners
The Chinese mining company operating in Premier estates Zimbabwe where 10 illegal miners were allegedly buried alive last week says it has halted search operations. – Africanews
Jared Kushner heads to Middle East amid tensions over Iranian nuclear scientist’s killing
Jared Kushner will travel to the Middle East this week amid heightened tensions over the assassination of a top Iranian scientist who had been credited with overseeing Tehran’s now moribund covert nuclear program. – USA Today
